Field
This application relates generally to origami enabled manufacturing systems and methods and, more particularly, to systems and methods to manufacture functional materials, structures, devices and/or systems having an adjustable size, shape and/or local structures based on origami principles.
Background Technology
Origami can be used to transform a flat sheet of paper or board into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques. In small or micro scale manufacturing (e.g., from cm to micro to nano), only very simple folding methods and structures have been explored to fabricate a structure. Moreover, the current material choice is limited, thereby limiting the functionality of the structure. At the same time, flexible, foldable and/or stretchable electronics are emerging as an attractive and promising new industry, but they are also limited by manufacturing technology which is not scalable, has a low yield, and is expensive and fragile. Therefore, there is a need in the pertinent art for a universal technology to fully employ origami structures with integration of soft and hard materials to produce wide functionality, reduce the space required, and improve portability and performance. The product scale can be from nano, micro, cm to meter level.